Mt TBR Report: May & June 2019
Jul. 4th, 2019 10:13 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
calissaThis report is very patchy. It was halfway through May before I decided I wanted to continue with my TBR reports here, so I wasn't monitoring things quite as closely as usual. And the first half of June was focused on editing deadlines and attending Continuum.
Mt TBR @ 1 January 2019: 442
Mt TBR @ 30 April 2019: 360
Mt TBR @ 31 May 2019: 364
Mt TBR @ 30 June 2019: 374
90. The Black God's Drums by P. Djeli Clark. Fantasy novella, Hugo nominee. Alternate history New Orleans.
91. 2019 Tor.com Debut Sampler. Did its work as it got me to pick up Silver in the Wood.
92. Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells. Sci-fi novella, third in the Murderbot Diaries.
93. All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders. Fantasy and sci-fi mash-up.
94. Ivan by Kit Rocha. Sci-fi romance, third in the Gideon's Riders series.
95. Exit Strategy by Martha Wells. Sci-fi novella, last in the Murderbot Diaries. My favourite of them.
96. The Atrocity Archives by Charlie Stross. First in the Laundry Files series, Hugo nominee. I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. Stross connects some disparate fields on some interesting ways, but delves deep enough into them that I was always left with the feeling I was missing half the references. Explanations tend to be long and repetitive. It's also not a great book from the perspective of diversity: it's a bit of a sausage fest (with most of the women present being either antagonistic b... bureaucrats, toxic ex-girlfriends or damsels/potential new girlfriends) and the only non-white characters (that I noticed, anyway) were terrorists. I did enjoy the intersection of spy thriller and sci-fi horror, and there were some great set pieces. However, I'm not sure I liked it enough to continue with the series.
97. Off Campus by Amy Jo Cousins. Contemporary m/m romance, first in the Bend or Break series. Reread.
98. Nothing Like Paris by Amy Jo Cousins. Contemporary m/m romance, second in the Bend or Break series.
99. Variations on Your Body by Avery Alder. A collection of single player rpgs. These are full of compassion and deal with issues like depression and dysphoria.
100. Journal to the Self by Kathleen Adams. Non-fiction on journaling techniques. On loan fromsidheblessed
101. Mrs Martin's Incomparable Adventure by Courtney Milan. Historical f/f romance novella. There was so much to love about this. It's not often you see protagonists in their sixties and seventies in any kind of story, let alone a historical romance. I loved the way it acknowledges sexuality is not something you grow out of and the grief that comes from outliving friends. That depression is something that happens to older people, too. There are parts of this story that may seem a little over the top, but the emotions under it were very real. The fear of being a woman at the mercy of a patriarchal society was very relateable, as was the feeling of being invisible to society. And Bertrice's delight in toasted cheese sandwiches was very charming.
101. Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. Non-fiction on creativity.
102. Abducted by Evangeline Anderson. Sci-fi romance. Not really my jam.
103. The Call by Peadar O'Guilin. Fantasy YA, Hugo nominee. A very different take on fae, bringing it back to oppression in Ireland. Thoughtful and a favourite of mine for the Lodestar this year.
104. Nor Iron Bars A Cage by Kaje Harper. Fantasy m/m romance. A delightful recommendation frompantha
105. The Subjugate by Amanda Bridgeman. Cyberpunk. The best of Bridgeman's work I've read so far, but it was pretty strong on the anti-religious views.
106. Tales from the Inner City by Shaun Tan. A gorgeous collection of magical realism stories themed around humanity's relationship with nature against the setting of the inner city. Beautifully written and stunning artwork. However, the stories felt a little samey after a while.
107. Listen to the Moon by Rose Lerner. Historical m/f romance.
109. Kitty and Cadaver by Narrelle M Harris. Urban fantasy. A crazy book about the undead being fought with the power of music. I've loved all of Narelle's work I've come across, so I think I'm going to have to start actively hunting it down.
110. The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie. YA Sci-fi. Review forthcoming for Skiffy and Fanty.
111. The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal. Alternate history sci-fi, second in the Lady Astronaut series. LDUH book club pick. I liked this one a little more than the first, largely because it gives an idea of what it's like to live in space. But it is very much an event-driven book rather than a character-driven one.
112. Protection by Elle Thorne. Dreadful shifter romance.
113. Daybreak Rising by Kiran Oliver. Super-powered science fantasy.
114. Dread Nation by Justina Ireland. Alternate history fantasy, Lodestar nominee. Didn't quite stick the landing.
115. Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh. Historical fantasy, m/m romance. I generally enjoyed it quite a lot, but again wasn't quite sure the ending worked for me.
116. Outcrossing by Celia Lake. Historical fantasy, f/m romance. An interesting magic system and generally charming, though there were a few parts where I felt the author's inexperience showed.
Mt TBR Status
Mt TBR @ 1 January 2019: 442
Mt TBR @ 30 April 2019: 360
Mt TBR @ 31 May 2019: 364
Mt TBR @ 30 June 2019: 374
Books Read
90. The Black God's Drums by P. Djeli Clark. Fantasy novella, Hugo nominee. Alternate history New Orleans.
91. 2019 Tor.com Debut Sampler. Did its work as it got me to pick up Silver in the Wood.
92. Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells. Sci-fi novella, third in the Murderbot Diaries.
93. All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders. Fantasy and sci-fi mash-up.
94. Ivan by Kit Rocha. Sci-fi romance, third in the Gideon's Riders series.
95. Exit Strategy by Martha Wells. Sci-fi novella, last in the Murderbot Diaries. My favourite of them.
96. The Atrocity Archives by Charlie Stross. First in the Laundry Files series, Hugo nominee. I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. Stross connects some disparate fields on some interesting ways, but delves deep enough into them that I was always left with the feeling I was missing half the references. Explanations tend to be long and repetitive. It's also not a great book from the perspective of diversity: it's a bit of a sausage fest (with most of the women present being either antagonistic b... bureaucrats, toxic ex-girlfriends or damsels/potential new girlfriends) and the only non-white characters (that I noticed, anyway) were terrorists. I did enjoy the intersection of spy thriller and sci-fi horror, and there were some great set pieces. However, I'm not sure I liked it enough to continue with the series.
97. Off Campus by Amy Jo Cousins. Contemporary m/m romance, first in the Bend or Break series. Reread.
98. Nothing Like Paris by Amy Jo Cousins. Contemporary m/m romance, second in the Bend or Break series.
99. Variations on Your Body by Avery Alder. A collection of single player rpgs. These are full of compassion and deal with issues like depression and dysphoria.
100. Journal to the Self by Kathleen Adams. Non-fiction on journaling techniques. On loan from
sidheblessed101. Mrs Martin's Incomparable Adventure by Courtney Milan. Historical f/f romance novella. There was so much to love about this. It's not often you see protagonists in their sixties and seventies in any kind of story, let alone a historical romance. I loved the way it acknowledges sexuality is not something you grow out of and the grief that comes from outliving friends. That depression is something that happens to older people, too. There are parts of this story that may seem a little over the top, but the emotions under it were very real. The fear of being a woman at the mercy of a patriarchal society was very relateable, as was the feeling of being invisible to society. And Bertrice's delight in toasted cheese sandwiches was very charming.
101. Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. Non-fiction on creativity.
102. Abducted by Evangeline Anderson. Sci-fi romance. Not really my jam.
103. The Call by Peadar O'Guilin. Fantasy YA, Hugo nominee. A very different take on fae, bringing it back to oppression in Ireland. Thoughtful and a favourite of mine for the Lodestar this year.
104. Nor Iron Bars A Cage by Kaje Harper. Fantasy m/m romance. A delightful recommendation from
pantha105. The Subjugate by Amanda Bridgeman. Cyberpunk. The best of Bridgeman's work I've read so far, but it was pretty strong on the anti-religious views.
106. Tales from the Inner City by Shaun Tan. A gorgeous collection of magical realism stories themed around humanity's relationship with nature against the setting of the inner city. Beautifully written and stunning artwork. However, the stories felt a little samey after a while.
107. Listen to the Moon by Rose Lerner. Historical m/f romance.
109. Kitty and Cadaver by Narrelle M Harris. Urban fantasy. A crazy book about the undead being fought with the power of music. I've loved all of Narelle's work I've come across, so I think I'm going to have to start actively hunting it down.
110. The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie. YA Sci-fi. Review forthcoming for Skiffy and Fanty.
111. The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal. Alternate history sci-fi, second in the Lady Astronaut series. LDUH book club pick. I liked this one a little more than the first, largely because it gives an idea of what it's like to live in space. But it is very much an event-driven book rather than a character-driven one.
112. Protection by Elle Thorne. Dreadful shifter romance.
113. Daybreak Rising by Kiran Oliver. Super-powered science fantasy.
114. Dread Nation by Justina Ireland. Alternate history fantasy, Lodestar nominee. Didn't quite stick the landing.
115. Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh. Historical fantasy, m/m romance. I generally enjoyed it quite a lot, but again wasn't quite sure the ending worked for me.
116. Outcrossing by Celia Lake. Historical fantasy, f/m romance. An interesting magic system and generally charming, though there were a few parts where I felt the author's inexperience showed.
no subject
Date: 2019-07-04 07:11 am (UTC)Do you have three or four faves out of the lot? <3
no subject
Date: 2019-07-08 06:01 am (UTC)Honestly, I'm not sure I'd recommend it for sanity's sake. I've grown good at ignoring the numbers over the years, but like to keep track of the general trend (which is always up).
Ooo... tough one. Variations on Your Body was doing some really interesting things, but very niche. I also liked The Call. It's up against Holly Black's The Cruel Prince for the Lodestar this year and the two form such an interesting comparison that I hope to manage to articulate for a review soon.
no subject
Date: 2019-07-04 06:10 pm (UTC)And oooh, Mrs Martin's Incomparable Adventure sounds good.
no subject
Date: 2019-07-06 06:35 am (UTC)I think you might find Mrs Martin's Incomparable Adventure charming.
no subject
Date: 2019-07-09 07:22 am (UTC)*goes to investigate*